Ireland visa requirements for Indian passport holders

Check your circumstances

Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.

Passport type Confirmed for this scope

Ireland bases the visa requirement on nationality, and India is listed as visa required. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the date you plan to leave Ireland, and you include copies of all previous passports.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

Trip purpose Confirmed for this scope

A short stay C visit visa covers tourism, visiting family or friends, short courses, getting married or medical treatment, for up to 90 days. It does not allow paid or unpaid work or the use of publicly funded services.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

Age Conditions to check

Every traveler, including children, needs their own application; a parent or legal guardian applies for anyone under 18. A visa for a child shows whether they travel accompanied or unaccompanied. Biometrics may be required; your application office confirms who must give them.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

Residence Conditions to check

Apply from your home country or the country where you legally live. If you are not a citizen of that country, include proof of your permission to live there, valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave Ireland.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

Other visas or residence permits Conditions to check

A valid UK short-stay visitor visa lets you visit Ireland without an Irish visa only if you first entered the UK on it, under the visa waiver; a UK ETA cannot be used, and long-stay UK permissions do not qualify.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

Carrier and arrival route Conditions to check

Arriving by air or sea, you show your passport, visa and boarding card to an immigration officer. If you arrive over the land border from Northern Ireland, you must report to an immigration office within 30 days.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

Stay and visa validity Confirmed for this scope

The visa lets you travel; the immigration officer decides whether you can enter and stamps how long you can stay, up to 3 months. You must leave before the stamp expires, and extensions are granted only in rare, unforeseen circumstances.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

How to apply

Create your application online in AVATS, Ireland's visa application system, then print, sign and date the summary form it produces. The form tells you where to send your documents and how to pay. Apply about three months before you travel, make a separate application for each person, and wait for a decision before you buy tickets: Ireland does not issue family visas or e-visas.

The visa fee is EUR 60 for a single entry and EUR 100 for multiple entries, and it is not refunded if you withdraw or are refused. Your application office may add local charges. Decisions usually take about 8 weeks from when the office receives your complete application.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland; Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

Documents to include

Send your current passport, valid for 6 months after you leave Ireland, with copies of every page of your previous passports, and 2 color passport photos. Add a signed letter explaining your trip, a holiday plan with your accommodation bookings, an original bank statement covering the last 6 months, and proof of ties to home such as recent payslips and an employer letter. Disclose every previous visa refusal for any country, or your application will be refused.

You do not need to send insurance with the application, but if your visa is approved you must carry evidence of medical or travel insurance and show it at the airport or port if asked. Documents not in English or Irish need certified translations.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

Using a UK visa instead

Under the short stay visa waiver programme, Indian nationals with an eligible UK short-stay visitor visa can visit Ireland without an Irish visa after they have entered the UK on it. You can stay up to 90 days or until your UK permission ends, whichever comes first. UK transit and marriage visas, UK ETAs and long-stay UK permissions do not qualify.

The British Irish Visa Scheme is for Indian nationals living in India: one short-stay visa endorsed BIVS covers Ireland and the UK. Enter the country that issued the visa first, and when applying for an Irish BIVS visa, show that Ireland is your main destination.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland; Ireland Immigration Service Delivery.

At the border and how long you can stay

A visa does not guarantee entry. Bring copies of your application documents, your accommodation details and proof of funds. The immigration officer decides how long you can stay, up to 3 months, and stamps the date in your passport. Ireland does not stamp passports when you leave.

If your application is refused, there is no appeal for a short stay visa of this kind; you can apply again, addressing the reasons in the refusal letter.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland; Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

Children and exceptions

A parent or guardian applies for each child under 18. When a child travels alone or with one parent, carry a signed consent letter from the other parent, a copy of their ID and the birth certificate, as immigration officers may ask about the relationship.

You do not need an Irish visa if you hold a valid Irish Residence Permit, or an EU family member residence card issued under Article 10 of the Free Movement Directive.

Official sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland; Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland; Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.